Alaska Home

by Debbie Macomber

  One

  The Present

  The first thing Chrissie Harris intended to do when she saw Scott O’Halloran was slap his face—hard. She might even have the opportunity today, she thought, reluctant to get out of bed on this clear August morning. The man had broken her heart, not once but twice—and she’d let him!

  The first time she’d been sixteen, and she’d stood at the Midnight Sons airstrip one frigid winter morning and watched him fly out of Hard Luck, Alaska. Unable to get along with his mother and stepfather, Scott had enlisted in the army. Chrissie had thought her whole world would cave in without Scott. She’d been crazy about him from the time she was in grade school, when his mother had moved to Hard Luck with him and his sister and married Sawyer O’Halloran. In third grade Chrissie had decided that as soon as they were grown-ups, she’d marry Scott; she’d been so sure he loved her, too—a belief she’d maintained for the next decade.

  She’d been wrong.

  A year out of high school he’d clashed with his father and promptly volunteered three years of his life to Uncle Sam. Chrissie had moped around for weeks, missing him dreadfully but pretending otherwise. In retrospect she realized she hadn’t fooled anyone. Least of all Susan, her best friend and Scott’s sister.

  Every afternoon Chrissie had beaten a path to the post office, eager for a letter. Every night she’d poured out her heart to him in long missives. In the beginning Scott did write. Boot camp was hell, he’d told her. Following graduation he’d volunteered for Airborne Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Eventually his letters became less and less frequent. Finally they stopped altogether.

  What hurt most was that Scott had asked his sister to break the news. As gently as possible, Susan let Chrissie know that Scott had met someone else.

  That was the first time he’d broken her heart.

  The next time happened the year Chrissie and Susan graduated from college. The two families had thrown a huge celebration party in Hard Luck, which half the town attended. Who should unexpectedly show up but Scott O’Halloran? He’d occasionally come home during the intervening years, but Chrissie had always avoided him. After the heartless way he’d dumped her, it was what he deserved. But at twenty-one she was older, more mature. Smart, too. She hadn’t graduated magna cum laude for nothing.

  But Chrissie wasn’t nearly as savvy as she’d assumed. It took Scott less than a week to maneuver himself back into her life. He told her how much he’d missed her, how he regretted the way he’d treated her. He’d gone on to claim that every woman he’d met since paled compared to her. Blah, blah, blah.

  Chrissie had swallowed his lies, every one of them. She was so in love with him her brain had virtually ceased to function. Then Farrah Warner had arrived and declared herself Scott’s fiancée. Scott had tried to explain, to apologize, but Chrissie had refused to listen. Before another day passed, Scott and Farrah had flown out of Hard Luck, leaving everyone, including his own family, upset and confused.

  Chrissie vowed that was the second and last time he’d ever break her heart.

  Recently she’d heard that Scott was returning to Hard Luck permanently as a partner in Midnight Sons, the bush plane service owned by his father and his uncle Christian. Chrissie swore she wouldn’t allow Scott O’Halloran anywhere near her. She would not give him the opportunity to break her heart a third time.

  That determined, she rolled over and turned off her clock radio before the alarm could buzz. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep—what little she’d managed to catch—from her eyes. She’d spent most of the night reviewing her history with Scott, going over and over his betrayals, hardening her resolve. At twenty-five, she wasn’t a schoolgirl anymore. The law degree hanging in the office she shared with Tracy Santiago Porter said as much.

  When the phone pealed at five minutes after seven, it jolted Chrissie so badly she nearly fell off the bed.

  “Yes,” she snapped.

  “Scott’s flight is due in at ten,” Susan cheerfully informed her. Despite everything, her best friend continued to believe that Scott and Chrissie were meant to be together. As far as Chrissie was concerned, it wouldn’t happen in this or any other lifetime.

  “Oh, Scott’s coming home?” Chrissie asked, hoping she sounded bored and uninterested. “Is that today?”

  “You know it is.”

  “Yes,” Chrissie said, faking a yawn. “I suppose I did.”

  “This time it’s for good. My brother’s here to stay.”

  “Really?” Chrissie feigned a second yawn as if she couldn’t care less. She cared, all right, but only because she wanted to tell him he was lower than a tundra rat—and then follow that with a resounding slap to his face.

  “Mom and Dad are thrilled.”

  Chrissie tensed, struggling to hide her reaction.

  “He’s going to be flying for Midnight Sons. Mom and Dad have been wanting this for years. With Anna and Ryan older now, Dad’s hoping to cut back his hours and... Oh, Chrissie, this is what we’ve all wanted!”

  Chrissie knew that, but she wasn’t sure Hard Luck was big enough for both of them. Fine, she could deal with Scott living in Hard Luck. It wasn’t as though her world revolved around him. Not anymore. Whether he stayed or moved on didn’t make one iota of difference to Chrissie.

  She could certainly be civil if she ran into him, although that wasn’t likely to happen often. Hard Luck wasn’t as small a town as it had once been. Back in the nineties, the population was around fifty—mostly cantankerous men in need of women. The O’Halloran brothers hadn’t been able to hold on to their staff of professional pilots and were losing them at an alarming rate to other commuter-airline companies in Fairbanks and Anchorage. Something had to be done, and quickly. The best way to keep their pilots, the brothers had decided, was to lure women north.

  Their plan had worked, too. Surprisingly well. Abbey, Scott and Susan’s mother, was the first woman to arrive, and a number of others had come soon afterward. In the years since, Hard Luck had expanded, and its population had reached a robust three hundred and counting. More families moved in every year.

  Susan’s husband, Ron Gold, and his partner, Matt Caldwell, did a booming winter tourist business, which involved dogsledding, camping and more. Midnight Sons flew in the adventure-seeking sightseers. But that was only part of their business; they also functioned as a commuter airline and courier company. Actually, they had a corner on the market, because the only way to get to Hard Luck was by plane.

  It wouldn’t be long now before the next group of visitors showed up. The last days of summer lingered on, but in early September the weather would start to turn chilly; snow would come by October—and with it, the winter tourists.

  “Chrissie! Have you heard anything I said?”

  “Sorry,” Chrissie muttered. “I kind of drifted off.”

  “I want you to be pleased Scott’s moving home,” Susan insisted. “You two make such a perfect couple.”

  Chrissie snickered. She couldn’t help it. She and Scott? Not anymore. She didn’t trust him, couldn’t make her heart vulnerable to him again. The first two times had hurt too much. No, she was a sensible attorney now, a woman who wouldn’t be swayed by a glib tongue and a pair of baby blues, even if they did belong to the one and only man she’d ever truly loved.

  “Scott could move next door and it wouldn’t make any difference to me,” Chrissie said in as matter-of-fact a tone as she could muster.

  “You sure about that?”

  “Positive.” Leave it to Susan and her romantic inclinations. But then, Chrissie supposed Susan was entitled to feel optimistic on that score; the year she graduated from college, she’d married the boy she’d loved half her life. “Listen, I’ve still got to shower,” Chrissie said. Knowing Susan wouldn’t be satisfied until she had her way, she added, “When you see Scott, tell
him hello for me.” As soon as the words left her lips, she realized her mistake. Scott might consider that an invitation to look her up, and there was nothing she wanted less. Quickly she said, “No, don’t. In fact, I’d rather you didn’t mention my name at all.”

  “You know Scott’s going to ask about you.”

  “Well, if he does, tell him I’m totally content without him in my life.”

  Susan laughed outright. “That sounds like a crock to me.”

  “Well, it isn’t,” Chrissie said, praying she wasn’t giving herself away. Hiding her true feelings from her best friend was something she found difficult. But the truth was, she fully intended to keep her distance from Scott.

  Resolved to push all thoughts of him from her mind, Chrissie got into the office early. She refused to look at her clock, refused to remember that at ten that very morning, Scott O’Halloran was flying back into Hard Luck—and into her well-ordered life.

  At eleven-thirty, just as she was about to break for lunch, Kate, the secretary she shared with Tracy, called her. “Scott O’Halloran is here to see you. Shall I send him in?”

  Already? Chrissie’s heart began to race, pounding so hard she had to catch her breath. Scott was here? Now?

  “Ms. Harris?”

  Forcing her heart to slow down, Chrissie took a deep breath. “Send him in,” she said.

  Half a minute later Scott strolled into her small office. He hadn’t changed. He was still better-looking than any man had a right to be. He’d always had a real presence—a confident quality and a sense of life that invariably attracted people. Especially women. Chrissie made herself stand and meet him eye to eye. For one wild moment all she could do was stare. Furious at her reaction, she lowered her hands to her desk for support.

  “Hello, Scott,” she managed to say, proud of revealing no emotion. To all appearances, he might have been a stranger.

  “Chrissie.” He sent her a smile bright enough to rival the summer sun.

  She inhaled and held her breath. With hardly any effort, he was tearing down her defenses. And, no doubt, he knew exactly the effect he had on her, hide it though she might.

  “You’re looking good,” he murmured with a nod of approval.

  “Yes, I know,” she said in blithe tones, wanting him to realize she wouldn’t be won over by a bit of flattery and some practiced charm. Not this time. He could fall at her feet and beg her forgiveness, and she’d look down at him and feel nothing but contempt.

  “Do you have a few minutes?” he asked.

  “Actually I don’t.” How dared he assume he could saunter into her office and pretend nothing had happened? He had nerve, she’d say that for him. Well, so did she. “Perhaps it’d be best if we cleared the air now,” she said aggressively.

  “Cleared the air?”

  “If you think you can walk back into my life again, you’re wrong. I’m older now. Wiser, too. You made a fool of me twice. There isn’t going to be a third time.”

  Scott’s lips quivered with a smile.

  “You find this amusing?”

  “If you’d give me a chance to explain...” he began.

  She laughed lightly, breezily, as if to suggest she had no interest in anything he had to say. “Explain what? You’re the one who claimed to be in love with me—and all the while you were engaged to another woman! Frankly, I’m not interested in hearing any explanations.” With great aplomb, she walked around her desk to her chair. Sitting down, her back very straight, she reached for her pen and glanced casually upward. “I think you should leave now.”

  “Well, the truth is, Chrissie, I didn’t stop by to rehash old times. I was planning to hire you to draw up some legal papers, since I’m becoming a full partner in Midnight Sons.”

  “Oh.” Mortified beyond words, Chrissie wanted to crawl under her desk.

  “But that’s okay. I’ll make an appointment with Tracy.”

  “Ah...” she blubbered, then nodded, implying she thought this was probably the best idea.

  “Good to see you again,” he said on his way out the door, closing it behind him.

  Chrissie dropped her forehead to her desk. What was it about Scott O’Halloran that turned her into a complete idiot every time she saw him?

  Two

  Abbey O’Halloran was ecstatic. As she shelved books at the Hard Luck library, she reflected on the reason for her happiness. She’d been waiting a long time for this day. Her son was home. Years ago, divorced and raising two children alone, she’d moved to Hard Luck and, after a whirlwind courtship, had married Sawyer O’Halloran. They had a good marriage and had added Ryan and Anna, now seventeen and nineteen respectively, to their family. Sawyer had adopted Scott and Susan, and loved and nurtured her children as his own. Scott, however, had gone through a difficult period of teenage rebellion that had left Abbey and Sawyer at a loss.

  It’d all started his last year of high school, when he had a couple of minor run-ins with Mitch Harris, the sheriff and Chrissie’s father. Mitch assured Sawyer and Abbey that Scott wasn’t a bad boy and the pranks he’d pulled were typical of many teenagers. Skipping school and painting graffiti on the community-center wall were small infractions, ones Abbey had been willing to overlook. What she couldn’t excuse was Scott’s lack of respect for Sawyer. Her husband had been nothing but warm and loving to both Scott and Susan. Scott, though, had become an increasingly angry young man, and he’d vented that anger against Sawyer. Abbey had never understood why her son seemed so resentful, why he’d felt such rage. His unpleasant behavior had escalated during his high-school years and later, too, when Scott had briefly worked for Midnight Sons. Although Sawyer had never complained, Abbey knew he’d been deeply hurt by the things Scott had said and done.

  Then one day, without a word to anyone, Scott had enlisted in the army. Not that Abbey or Sawyer would have objected. By this point it was obvious that Scott had problems he needed to resolve. As his mother, she’d longed to help him deal with his past, yearned to answer his doubts, but she couldn’t help what she didn’t understand. Watching Scott fly out of Hard Luck for boot camp was, without question, one of the most difficult moments she’d ever experienced.

  She’d known someday he’d return. She just hadn’t known when that day would come. And now...it finally had.

  The library door opened and Sawyer walked in. Even after all these years of marriage, she felt a rush of joy at the sight of him. His hair had started to gray and the laugh lines around his eyes were more pronounced, but he was as handsome and vital as when they’d first met.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, surprised to see him.

  “Hey, I’ve got a library card.”

  His eyes held a warm teasing light and she smiled in response. She loved this man and had borne him two children. They’d made a good life together in Hard Luck and looked forward to when they could officially retire and travel, the way they’d planned. As Sawyer often reminded her, there was an entire world for them to explore. But no matter where they went, Alaska would always be home.

  “I thought you were with Scott.” She placed the latest Janet Evanovich mystery back on the shelf, then turned and kissed her husband.

  “Hey, what’s that for?”

  “I’m just so happy I can barely hold it inside. Scott’s home! And this time it’s for good.”

  Sawyer grinned with equal delight. “He’s grown up, Abbey.”

  “I know.”

  “The years away have had a positive effect. He’s lost all that anger. He’s made peace with himself and he’s ready to step into the business.” Sawyer moved toward her desk and perched on the corner. “Did you hear he’s found a place to rent?”

  “Already?” Abbey couldn’t help being disappointed. She’d hoped to fuss over her son for the first couple of weeks.

 
“He wants to make his own way, and I can’t say I blame him,” Sawyer said in Scott’s defense. “Matt and Karen are renting him one of the cabins they renovated this summer.” Their good friends, the Caldwells, owned and operated Hard Luck Lodge; they’d always been fond of Scott. Their primary business was providing accommodation for the tourists who flew in with Arctic Experiences, the tour company run by Matt and their son-in-law, Ron Gold.

  Now that Abbey thought about it, one of those cabins was ideal. There was also a touch of irony attached to it. She’d come here in response to an advertisement offering jobs to women willing to move to Hard Luck, fifty miles north of the Arctic Circle. Hoping to attract qualified applicants, Midnight Sons had included a cabin and twenty acres of land. What the brothers hadn’t bothered to disclose was that the cabins were dilapidated one-room shacks, desperately in need of repair. If that wasn’t insult enough, the twenty acres they’d so generously thrown in were nowhere near Hard Luck or the cabins. For the most part they were only accessible by air.

  “Matt’s done a good job with those cabins,” Sawyer remarked.

  Abbey agreed. The original shacks were torn down years ago and larger, better-equipped cabins had been built. The Caldwells had begun an extensive process of renovation and Scott would be renting one of the newly upgraded cabins.

  “Scott’s had a busy afternoon,” Sawyer continued. “He was in to see Tracy about having the papers drawn up.”

  “Not Chrissie?” Abbey asked.

  Sawyer shook his head. “Apparently not. My guess is, he knows he’s got some fences to mend.”

  Abbey nodded slowly. As Scott’s mother she could think of no better wife for her son than Chrissie Harris. Although Scott had never discussed his feelings for Chrissie, Abbey knew he’d loved her as a teenager, and she strongly suspected he loved her still.

  That morning when he’d arrived, Abbey noticed the way Scott’s gaze had moved over the crowd gathered to greet him. He’d been searching for Chrissie; she was sure of it. And practically the first stop he’d made in town was the attorneys’ office. Yes, there were some legal papers to be drawn up, but there certainly wasn’t any rush.